Biomedical subjects

Yin-Ming Li

Publications and source records attributed to Yin-Ming Li.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Alcohol-related Injuries at an emergency department in Eastern Taiwan.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Injuries are major causes of mortality and morbidity in Taiwan. Alcohol involvement often plays a role in injuries. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of alcohol-related injuries at an emergency department in Eastern Taiwan and their associated factors. METHODS: All injured patients who made emergency visits between October 2002 and September 2003 were enrolled. For each patient, the attending nurse completed an injury-coding sheet, which included the results of an assessment of whether the patient had an alcohol odor or alcohol consumption related behavior. Nurses recorded suspicion of alcohol consumption based on possible categories of "no alcohol odor", "alcohol odor", "intoxicated", "suspected" or "unknown". Blood alcohol testing was also performed based on the decision of the attending physician. Injuries were defined as alcohol-related based on the report of "alcohol odor" or "intoxicated" by the nurse or a positive blood alcohol test. Logistic regression was used to assess the significance of the association of possible related factors with alcohol-related injury. RESULTS: A total of 8822 eligible visits were studied and 14% were classified as alcohol-related. The proportion of alcohol-related injuries was 14.9% for vehicle-related injuries, and 51.3% for assaults. Male, young to middle aged, aboriginal ethnicity and visits after midnight were factors associated with increased likelihood of alcohol-related injuries. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the three factors most significantly associated with alcohol-related injuries were visits after midnight (odds ratio, OR, 7.5; 95% confidence interval, CI, 6.4-8.9], assaults (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 2.3-4.8), and head injuries (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 2.3-3.2). CONCLUSION: Injuries were alcohol related in one out of seven patients this study from an emergency department in eastern Taiwan. Ongoing epidemiologic monitoring of the prevalence and nature of alcohol abuse among patients visiting the ED are urgently needed.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed2005

Maternal demographic and psyhosocial factors associated with low birth weight in eastern Taiwan.

The relationship between birth weight and maternal sociodemographic characteristics was examined in a sample from two teaching hospitals in eastern Taiwan. Using a structured questionnaire, we conducted face-to-face interviews with women at antenatal clinics between 1998 and 1999 in Hualien City. One year later, we took the outcome of pregnancy from medical records and birth certificates from the Public Health Bureau of Hualien County. Of the 1,128 single live births, 6.8% had low birth weight (LBW) using the World Health Organization cut-off of 2,500 g. LBW was more common in teenage (< 20 years), older (> 30 years), first-time, and unmarried mothers; those with basic/intermediate educational attainment; and residents of aboriginal districts. Teenage pregnancies were more likely than those in adults to be unplanned, and such mothers had smoking or alcohol-drinking behavior. Prevention of teenage pregnancy is crucial to lower LBW rates in eastern Taiwan. For adult mothers, basic or intermediate educational attainment, residence in an aboriginal district, and first-term pregnancy were significant factors associated with LBW, after adjustment for other psychosocial attributes, such as psychologic distress and poor family support. Thus, we should pay more attention when caring for pregnant women with such sociodemographic characteristics, and ensure that they have adequate prenatal care and can adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Feasibility of identification of alcohol intoxication by nurses in emergency departments.

Vehicle-related injuries are the major cause of death and injuries in Hualien County, and driving under the influence of alcohol plays a major role in such crashes. From December 1997 to May 1998, we determined the blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of injured individuals from vehicle crashes at two emergency departments in Hualien. Nurses were asked to record whether the patient presented with an alcohol odor. The accuracy of detection by nurses was assessed from the BAC and groups with increased prevalence were identified for screening. Of 945 patients assessed, 505 (53.4%) tested positive by BAC and 320 (33.9%) were identified with an alcohol odor. With a BAC threshold of more than 50 mg/dL, detection sensitivity was 75.4%, specificity was 90.4%, and accuracy was 85.0% (95% confidence interval: 82.7, 87.3). Patients with an alcohol odor were significantly more likely to be men, aborigines, or head-injured patients. The accuracy of detection showed no significant difference by gender, head injury, or driver status. We suggest that detection of alcohol odor by nurses may be a feasible assessment of the role of alcohol in road traffic accidents. This may provide essential data for injury prevention strategies and programs.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Using hyperaccumulator plants to phytoextract soil Ni and Cd.

Two strategies of phytoextraction have been shown to have promise for practical soil remediation: domestication of natural hyperaccumulators and bioengineering plants with the genes that allow natural hyperaccumulators to achieve useful phytoextraction. Because different elements have different value, some can be phytomined for profit and others can be phytoremediated at lower cost than soil removal and replacement. Ni phytoextraction from contaminated or mineralized soils offers economic return greater than producing most crops, especially when considering the low fertility or phytotoxicity of Ni rich soils. Only soils that require remediation based on risk assessment will comprise the market for phytoremediation. Improved risk assessment has indicated that most Zn + Cd contaminated soils will not require Cd phytoextraction because the Zn limits practical risk from soil Cd. But rice and tobacco, and foods grown on soils with Cd contamination without corresponding 100-fold greater Zn contamination, allow Cd to readily enter food plants and diets. Clear evidence of human renal tubular dysfunction from soil Cd has only been obtained for subsistence rice farm families in Asia. Because of historic metal mining and smelting, Zn + Cd contaminated rice soils have been found in Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand. Phytoextraction using southern France populations of Thlaspi caerulescens appears to be the only practical method to alleviate Cd risk without soil removal and replacement. The southern France plants accumulate 10-20-fold higher Cd in shoots than most T. caerulescens populations such as those from Belgium and the UK. Addition of fertilizers to maximize yield does not reduce Cd concentration in shoots; and soil management promotes annual Cd removal. The value of Cd in the plants is low, so the remediation service must pay the costs of Cd phytoextraction plus profits to the parties who conduct phytoextraction. Some other plants have been studied for Cd phytoextraction, but annual removals are much lower than the best T. caerulescens. Improved cultivars with higher yields and retaining this remarkable Cd phytoextraction potential are being bred using normal plant breeding techniques.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗